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Infernals
This page goes over the information concerning Infernals in their generalized entirety. For specific information on the group of Infernals personified by the Warmachine / Hordes Mini-Faction "Infernals", Refer to the page: Nonokrion Order You are not prepared to handle this. Do not think their inclusion in this volume is in any way encouragement to seek them out in the field. Even if you feel that you have the most advanced equipment, even if you have never failed a single case you have been assigned‚ an encounter with such creatures should be treated with the same urgency you would treat the end of the known world. For you, it just might be. Footnote: Before your death, please do attempt to capture as many spectragraphs of these entities as you are able and take pains to conceal them on your corpse somewhere a follow-up team would think to look. — Known Incorporeal & Disembodied Entities, 2nd Edition. Chapter Thirteen: Sometimes It’s Okay to Run Away Infernals are malevolent, shadowy and utterly alien entities from beyond the realms of the material Caen and spiritual Urcaen, instead residing in and originating from the dark realm of the Outer Abyss. They are defined by their intense and all-consuming need for mortal Souls and the contracts they make to acquire them. Infernal is a blanket term used to refer to all the evil outsiders with an interest in Caen. Infernals have played an active behind-the-scenes role in events on Caen for millennia. They are suspected to have played a hand in humanity's learning of the arcane art of wizardry and also in the successful rebellion against the Orgoth. They are even unsubstantiated rumors that the gods of the Orgoth were exceptionally powerful Infernals. Origins Infernal Realms The gods are no alone in desiring the souls of the living to provide soldiers for their armies, nor is Urcaen the only realm beyond Caen. There are far worse realms separated at greater distances home to alien creatures of strange cultures and dark appetites. these are the Infernals, and they are all diabolical to the core, at least by human notions of mortality. Modus operandi I don't care what they say, when it comes to the Infernals, no one knows what the hell they're talking about. - Victor Pendrake Infernal creatures like the soul stalker are driven by instinct. They do not think or desire things so much as they fulfill the purpose for which they were created. Infernal beasts are perfectly adapted for a single purpose and not afflicted in any way by fear or doubt. Intelligent infernals are another matter. The two strongest emotions true infernals feel are an unshakable sense of superiority to mortal beings and an overwhelming sense of desire. Infernals need souls and will promise anything in order to acquire them. An infernal calculates ways by which to twist a mortal’s desires, fulfilling the promises it makes while robbing a mortal of the joy it might bring. Infernals are bound by the strict wording of agreements they make, however. If a mortal manages to strike a deal with an infernal with ironclad wording, the infernal will be withdrawn and hostile. Infernals find the concept of their own destruction unthinkable. They are effectively eternal beings, and the idea that a simple mortal could do them harm is below consideration. If an infernal does suffer damage or gets close to its own demise, it may begin to lash out and act irrationally as it panics; it may even try to strike a bargain with the mortal who wounded it. Infernals are never restrained by summoning spells, nor can they be coerced or forced into service. They ignore any summoning magic as they please and generally only answer summons after extensive negotiations and agreed-upon contracts. Contacting Infernals from Caen for these negotiations requires specific rituals and invocations, although in some cases Infernals initiate contact. Once contracts are agreed upon, both Infernal and summoner are bound to abide by the exact wording as if under the influence of a geas. Infernals are extremely skilled at negotiating to their favor and are rarely caught at a disadvantage in the negotiations. However, they often off favorable terms to an inexperienced infernalist in order to encourage the individual's corruption and continued use of the Infernal's services. Although most summoners utilize various methods to shield themselves from overt attacks, these spells cannot interfere with any transactions agreed upon in negotiated contracts, particularly the voluntary transfer of soul or life essence. Some powerful Infernals are entirely unaffected by these types of lesser abjurations. Protection against these beings requires potent defenses. Infernals do not negotiate for lesser goods and have no interest in material wealth except possibly as a means to fulfill other ongoing contracts. Their sole interest is in the souls of mortals, and to a lesser extent their life essence. Once and agreement has been reached, Infernals are usually in no hurry to collect a bargained soul, but the do "mark" it permanently so that it cannot travel on to Urcaen at death and will remain they come to collect it. Infernal Interlopers Every time a being casts a Conjuration (Calling) or Conjuration (Summoning) spell, there is a chance of an Infernal of the Nonokrion Order (or another Infernal Society) notices the caster. In most cases, the Infernal will Mark this caster and subject him to continued scrutiny. If the Infernal's interest is piqued it may begin to tempt the would-be Infernalist with dream-sendings, offering power, rare spells, or other enticements. There are rumors regarding the dangers of summoning spells and the unwanted attention that they can draw. This attention could also result in an Infernal riding along the summoning. All conjuration spells from the Teleportation subschool have the same chance of attracting Infernal attention as those from the Calling and Summoning subschools. However, this danger does not apply to conjuration spells from the Creation and Healing subschools. Currency of Souls Mortality Although it is not known with absolute certainty, infernalists claim that true Infrernals can be destroyed, although they are ageless and immortal. SInce they do not have souls themselves, they are gone forever once destroyed. It is unknown how of if these Infernals are replaced, nor is their process of birth or creation understood. Horrors and other enforcers / conscriptus that are shaped from immortal souls are not destroyed completely when defeated, but can be harvested again and shaped once more into their previous form or a new one. For this reason most Infernal wars take place among the enforcers, which are recyclable. True Infernals are cautious and will do anything in their power to prevent their own destruction. Infernal Names The names infernals use among mortals are a fraction of their true identities. Often made up of complex syllables that are joined in difficult or unpleasant chains, these names are simply an expedient way to allow a mortal to interact with a true infernal; just a whisper of the infernal’s full name would be enough to erode the sanity of a living being who hears it. Infernals also accumulate many titles, based on the interactions they have with the living. Because of the dangerous nature of allowing others to know its true name, even a fragment of it, infernals often prefer to introduce themselves using one or more titles. A single infernal can have dozens of such titles, and a full accounting of them can take quite some time to complete. If pressed, an infernal is likely to share only the titles it finds best speak to its majesty and power, preferring them to simple monikers that shed light on what it considers meager accomplishments. * Sample Names: Ancampestrebis, Andromalichriman, Anextios, Caacrinolas, Hahbathsithoech, Marchorobach, Muaqqibaobat, Nabezeth, Qaphdinibakir, Qaphkiel, Teldoquorin, Tzaphanuel, Vhetericura, Zohridreelqun * Sample Titles: Consul of the Twilight Pool, Curator of All That Is Known or Will Be Dreamed, Drawer of the Veil, Giver of Power, Herald of Twilight, Keeper of the First Horror, Prophet of Bedlam, Shadow Beyond Time, Sounder at the Gates, Taker of Names, The Inscriber, Unmaker at the Threshold, Watcher within the Shadows, Whisperer of Unknown Truths Society "Known" Infernal Orders * Fellgoeth Order * Nonokrion Order Types of Infernals Infernal Masters Infernal masters are among the most potent entities known to exist beyond Caen. tremendously powerful beings able to command the terrifying horrors, or conscriptus, and to summon them from beyond time and space. Infernal masters posses tremendous arcane power, and by this power, can reshape reality as an exercise in will. They do not require the formulaic abstractions called spells employed by mortal arcanists. Still, by mortal reckoning, the end result is the same, and all the greater infernals are equivalent to extremely powerful battle-wizards, harnessing powers equivelant to or greater than the warcasters and warlocks of western Immoren. These magics have a substantial impact on the ebb and flow of battle, and infernal master can augment their mystical power with freshly collected souls in a manner not dissimilar to Cryxian necromancers. Only the most powerful of greater infernals have sufficiently strong presence and the long-accumulated power need to lead armies on Caen, a place inimical to their very nature. It is though reality itself tries to push them out, like red blood cells attacking an infection. Perhaps this is, indeed, part of some intrinsic aspect of the world, but the gods of Urcaen may have also played a hand in reinforcing these barriers. While lesser infernal being can be brought to Caen by easier methods, the truly formidable master require elaborate summoning rites. Only gifted mortals who have given themselves completely to the masters can conduct these rite, learning to imbue summoning glyphs and forge gateways to connect the disparate realms. These gates are not simply to open, they require the sudden outpouring of energy that accompanies sacrifice and bloodshed. But by these summons, the movements of the infernal master are unpredictable and the attacks they make on Caen can be devastating. Where infernal masters walk, misfortune and carnage follow. These masters are each beings of godlike power that can shape reality with but a thought, and they bring with innumerable horrors. An infernal master approaches a battle as a puzzle with a generally simple solution. Lesser Infernals The distant realm of from which infernals originate is utterly unlike Caen, being closer to Urcaen as a place where beings of spirit and energy dwell, divorced from the fixed forms of corporeality. Yet for all that, the Outer Abyss,does possess an ecology. The vast and hostile landscapes are inhabited by otherworldly entities that eke out an existence, hunting and being hunted in turn. Spiritual matter ebbs and flows, gathering into self-motivated configurations that prey upon others. The strong consume the weak, the swift outrun the slow, and there is a cycle of violence not dissimilar to that found in nature, though the forms are quire different, Alien beings float through the air unhindered or meld into shadow only to emerge elsewhere in a blink. It is this environment that being like the Howler and Griever Swarms hunt. Horrors / Conscriptus Sources * Iron Kingdoms Character Guide Full-Metal Fantasy Volume 1 * Monsternomicon Volume I-Denizens of the Iron Kingdoms V3.5, pg.210-211 * Warmachine: Oblivion * Warmachine & Hordes Core Rules Remix, Pg. 95-97 * No Quarter issue 14 * No Quarter PRIME issue 06, Pg.59 Category:Deities Category:Magic Category:Infernals